Garage redo

[stritle]

We are finishing up a kitchen renovation, which means no money for anything else. Anyway, I am putting the old cabinets in the garage to set up as a small workshop.

What do you all recommend for a small workshop set up? As in, if you set up a shop in the past, what would you do over or make sure you did to get it right the next time around?

 

[kide]

1:Build a bigger shop
2:Get bigger tool boxes
3:Build a bigger shop
4:Make longer work benches
5:Build a bigger shop (see a trend here?)
6lan electrical, air lines and lighting up front
7: Build a bigger shop...(520 sq ft aren't enough..)

 

[bbrigham]

I'm not sure Kendall hit this idea but build a bigger shop, figure twice what you first figure and then it still may be too small.

)

 

[bbranstetter]

For reliativly little money a piped air system is the way to go. I have a compressor in the basement (close to the electrical) and pipe it to the garage. My compressor doesn't take up any floor space and you have the conviance of putting the air drops in only where you need them. At the time I was buying 10' sticks of 3/4 inch for around $10 or you could go with 1/2 if you don't need as much volume. Just a thought. Good luck on your project.

 

[lhinds]

Steve; I have A 36x50 building and inside is A 12x24 for my tool and work room. This 12x24 is to small. When i take a cub cadet inside to work on i don't have enough room. The number one thing i would do is build the work room at least 24x36.

 

[bcorn]

Bigger shop!!!!!!! I have a 32X24 and with usually 3 cubs and my 59 Chevy pickup (restoring) there is not enough room. Truthfully a place for your tools, hang them on the wall if you have to, a good work bench that fits "your" hieght, and make the best use of your floor space.

My next shop will be a 36X60 with a spray paint room vented to the outside, even tho I wear good mask (breathers) the fumes stay to long and make me sick.

I will be looking for different means to heat and cool this building possibly combination wood corn stove.

Pops

 

[kide]

My workshop is 22 x 22 with a 12 x 8 addition (storage, compressor room). The stuff I'm working on lives in a 40 x 46 x 14 barn when I'm not working on it, and that's a good place to work also, for the warm months, but it's back to the workshop for the cold months (it's heated and insulated..) Before I built the barn, I had my '54 F-100 in the workshop and worked around it for years. PITA..
Biggest problem in the shop is that as I acquire bench tools ( metal lathe, small bandsaw, etc.) I've started running out of bench space to work on. I agree on the air piping - see the running thread Kraig had going a few months ago on that.

 

[stritle]

Kendall, I sold my 55 F-100 to make room for this shop. I got tired of tripping over it, and with Ebay these days, I can buy another project later on.

Thanks for the advice guys. So, first call is to a wrecking ball company.....

 

[dfrisk]

Yep, I have to agree, Whatever size shop You plan it'll be too small. I designed & built My 24 X 36 shop to store My pickup and two Cub Cadets, and maybe My Super H FARMALL.....so now I have a LWB reg. cab p/u instead of a SWB reg. cab p/u....three CC's (One's an SGT) and the Super H AND an M....the M is about 50% bigger than the SH in every way....at one time I had SIX CC's in the shop....and couldn't walk around at all. I have three of the four corners so full of crap that it takes Me 10 minutes and having to start & move 3-4 vehicles to get stuff into and out of those corners.
Next shop is 50 X 60 and taller. This shop is only 8 ft from floor to top plate, next shop is 12 ft minimum!, Room for a hoist or lift. I did get plenty of electricity into the shop....220V 100A, but I should have installed two more 220V outlets, there's only 5. Ohhhhh and a workbench 26 feet long IS really too short....Honest. My last workshop was 8 ft x 16 ft and the workbench was MAYBE 7 ft at most.

 

[hsimon]

Make sure it is heated so ya don't have to run the torpedo heater in the winter, have plenty of outlets, put the air compressor on a seperate circut so you can leave it run and still use other power tools, make it BIGGER than what you think you will need.

 

[phentschel]

I built my shop 16by36 and put the 6ft walls on top of 4 rows of block so i can wash it down as needed.Then i built a6by12 room on the side to paint small cub stuff and i sandblast there also.but if i built my sandblast room over again i'd go 12 by 12.Also put your radio on a wall switch to cut it off easily when people come to talk.Also put aircompressor outside or in a soundproof room.Plus put in a sink and toilet while your at it!Insulate it well,and put a slight slope in the floor so water won't just sit there.